page_title: Yerkes Observatory
section_title: Closure
hierarchical_section_title: Yerkes Observatory / Closure
caption_attribution_description: Yerkes Observatory, back side
context_page_description: Yerkes Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.A. It was operated by the University of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics from its founding in 1897 to 2020. Ownership was transferred to the non-profit Yerkes Future Foundation in May, 2020.
  The observatory, sometimes called "the birthplace of modern astrophysics", was founded in 1892 by astronomer George Ellery Hale and financed by businessman Charles T. Yerkes.
  It represented a shift in the thinking about observatories, from their being mere housing for telescopes and observers, to the early-20th-century concept of observation equipment integrated with laboratory space for physics and chemistry analysis.
  The observatory's main dome houses a 40-inch diameter doublet lens refracting telescope, the largest refractor ever successfully used for astronomy. Two smaller domes house 40 in and 24 in reflecting telescopes. There are several smaller telescopes - some permanently mounted - that are primarily used for educational purposes. The observatory also holds a collection of over 170,000 photographic plates.
context_section_description: In March 2018, the University of Chicago announced that it would no longer operate the observatory after October 1, 2018, and would be seeking a new owner. In May 2018, the Yerkes Future Foundation, a group of local residents, submitted an expression of interest to the University of Chicago with a proposal that would seek to maintain public access to the site and continuation of the educational programs. Transfer of operation to a successor operator was not arranged by the end of August, and the facility was closed to the general public on October 1. Some research activities continued at the Observatory, including access and use of the extensive historical glass plate archives at the site. Yerkes education and outreach staff formed a nonprofit organization – GLAS – to continue their programs at another site after the closing.  
  As of May 2019, the University continues to negotiate with interested parties on Yerkes' future, primarily with the Yerkes Future Foundation.  It was announced in November 2018 that a sticking point has been the need to include the Yerkes family in the discussions. Mr. Yerkes' agreement in making his donation to the University transfers ownership “To have and to hold unto the said Trustees [of the University of Chicago] and their successors so long as they shall use the same for the purpose of astronomical investigation, but upon their failure to do so, the property hereby conveyed shall revert to the said Charles T. Yerkes or his heirs at law, the same as if this conveyance had never been made.” 
  For the closing, there is a new gate with a sign that reads "Facilities Closed To The Public" since October 1, 2018.
caption: Yerkes in 2009
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